I Don't Want to Be Alone
by Ex-Shark-Virtue-005
Summary: Just a few days after the battle with Aizen, Uryuu is absent from school and it worries Orihime so she pays him a visit. Slight Ishihime and spoilers may be present.
1. Stay With Me

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm Ex-Shark-Virtue and this is my first Bleach fanfiction! This little fic takes place after Aizen is defeated but before Ichigo wakes up. It's just a cute little fluff fic dealing with Orihime and Uryuu. If I mess up with their personalities a little I apologize. I watched the first seven seasons of Bleach in English, I watched seasons eight onward in Japanese, and I've only read bits and pieces of the manga. I'll follow the manga's storyline for this story just with my own little interjections. And Spoilers might be present.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or the characters. They all belong to Kubo, Tite-san.

Happy Reading!

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><p>Chapter One: Stay With Me<p>

Inoue Orihime sighed as she entered the classroom to find not one but two of her best friends missing. One of them she expected. Kurosaki Ichigo was still unconscious after the ordeal that Aizen had created. But the other one she wasn't expecting. Ishida Uryuu wasn't sitting at his desk. Class was due to start in less than ten minutes and Uryuu was usually one of the first students to show up, so Orihime had a feeling he wasn't going to come in. She knew that she shouldn't be in school either after what had happened to her. It had been only a few short days since they had returned from Hueco Mundo and Aizen had been defeated.

She had spent the previous day at home but all the events that she had witnessed kept playing over in her head. She couldn't remember how many times she had seen the gaping hole in Ichigo's lifeless body or the sight of Uryuu struggling to remain conscious despite missing his left hand and with Ichigo's Zanpakutou through his stomach. Or…the monster that Ichigo had become to protect her from Ulquiorra…the monster that had nearly killed Uryuu. So today she had come to school to distract herself from those images.

"Sado-kun," She asked as she walked up to the only person in her group of friends who had come to school that day, "It's odd that Ishida-kun isn't in school today. Was he here yesterday?"

"Yeah," Sado said, "He was here yesterday but he didn't look very well."

"I see," Orihime said, "Maybe I'll call him after school. I'm sure his injuries are still bothering him. He didn't want me to heal him completely."

"I'm sure he's fine," Sado said as the teacher walked in.

"Well, well, well," Ochi-Sensei said as she started taking roll call, "Kurosaki's out again. Although his father did mention that there was a possibility that he would be out for a while. Ishida's out as well but he looked so awful yesterday I wasn't expecting him to come in either."

Orihime sighed, _"I should have healed Ishida-kun's injuries completely," _She thought, _"He must be in a lot of pain to take a day out of school."_

* * *

><p>It was a slow day for Orihime. Normally she had Ichigo, Uryuu, Rukia, Sado, and from time to time Renji to talk to during the day but today it was only her and Sado. Although it was actually a relief to have Chizuru and Tatsuki fighting over her, it still wasn't the same without Uryuu, Ichigo and Rukia in class.<p>

"Orihime-chan," Tatsuki said, "Do you want to walk home together?"

"I'm sorry Tatsuki-chan," Orihime said, "I was going to stop by Ishida-kun's apartment to see how he was feeling. I heard that he wasn't feeling very well yesterday."

"Did something happen to him?" Tatsuki asked, "He actually fell asleep in class yesterday. I'm pretty sure if it wasn't the last period of the day Ochi-sensei would have sent him to the nurse. His left hand was all bandaged too and it looked as if he could barely move it. He went to find you didn't he? Did something happen?"

"He was injured trying to protect me from the people who took me," Orihime said.

"It was those freaky looking people in the white outfits right?" Tatsuki asked.

"Yeah," Orihime said softly, "We'll talk about it later though…It's still hard to think about."

"I understand," Tatsuki said, "Give Ishida-san my regards."

"I will," Orihime said as she walked off.

Orihime took her phone out and dialed Uryuu's phone number.

* * *

><p>Uryuu woke up to the sound of his phone. He was going to just let it ring but in case it was Isshin or Orihime calling with information on Ichigo's condition he decided to get up and answer the phone.<p>

"Hello?" He asked tiredly.

_"Ishida-kun,"_ Orihime called.

"Inoue-san…?" Uryuu answered tiredly. The phone had brought him from a deep fever-induced sleep and he had yet to fully wake up.

"_I'm sorry, Ishida-kun," _Orihime said, _"Did I wake you up or something?"_

"No, you didn't," Uryuu lied as he sat down at his table, "I was just resting a bit. What do you want?"

"_You weren't in school today,"_ Orihime said, _"I was wondering if your injuries were bothering you at all."_

Uryuu sighed, "I developed a slight fever late last night," He said softly, "It's no reason for alarm, just a result of exhaustion I guess."

"_Would you mind if I stopped by for a little bit?"_ Orihime asked, _"I…I don't want to be alone right now…and Kurosaki-kun is still unconscious. It's okay if you don't feel like having company but…I just can't go home yet."_

Uryuu sighed again, "You can come over if you want," he said softly, "I…" He nearly said "I want you to finish healing my injuries," but he stopped himself. She would probably insist to do that anyway once she saw the condition he was in, "Don't mind."

"_Okay," _Orihime said, _"Could I have your address? I don't know where you live."_

Uryuu sighed a third time, "Only you would ask to come visit a person without knowing where they live," He said as he shook his head.

Orihime laughed a bit, _"I guess so,"_ She said as Uryuu gave her his address, _"Thank you Ishida-kun. I'll see you in a little bit."_

Uryuu sighed as he put his phone down. He was glad that Orihime was coming over. He wasn't sure what he had been thinking when he refused her offer to heal his injuries completely. He had expected everyone to suffer more devastating injuries and he hadn't expected the fourth squadron to be there to take care of any injuries. He meant to ask Orihime to finish healing him sooner but things had gotten a bit hectic after Ichigo collapsed and he never got around to it.

He sighed as he walked back over to his couch after unlocking the door. The fever he had was making him terribly lightheaded and his still tender injuries were just adding to how awful he felt. _"Maybe it's a good thing she's coming over,"_ He thought, _"I can't fend for myself like this."_

* * *

><p>Orihime sighed as she walked up to Uryuu's apartment. She was a little nervous about being there. Uryuu was one of her closest friends but she was still a little bit apprehensive about it just being the two of them. During the time she had spent with Uryuu in both the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo she had developed a bit of a crush on the aloof Quincy. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Ishida-kun?" She called.<p>

When there was no response she tried the door and it opened. She quietly and cautiously entered the apartment and found Uryuu asleep on the couch. She placed her hand on his forehead and frowned, _"His fever's really high," _She thought, _"I hope his injuries didn't get infected."_

"Inoue-san…" Uryuu muttered as his deep blue eyes opened slightly.

"I'm sorry," Orihime blurted out, "I didn't mean to wake you up. You're sick and I should have just let you sleep."

"It's alright," Uryuu said, "I wanted to be awake when you got here anyway. Could I ask a favor of you?"

"What would that be?" Orihime asked she had a feeling that she knew what Uryuu was going to ask of her.

"Could you…finish healing my wounds?" He asked shyly as he blushed a bit, "I meant to ask you earlier but I never got around to it. Do you mind?"

"I was going to ask if I could do that anyway," Orihime asked, "But first I want to check if any of them have gotten infected."

"None of them are infected," Uryuu said as he started to remove the bandages from his left hand, "I had Kurosaki-san come and check the injuries this morning. He assured me that none of my injuries had gotten infected and that the fever was the result of stress and exhaustion."

"Kurosaki-san…" Orihime muttered, "As in Kurosaki-kun's father?"

"Yeah," Uryuu said as he started to remove the bandages from his stomach, "He made a house call for me this morning."

"But isn't your father a doctor as well?" Orihime asked as she started to inspect Uryuu's barely functional left hand, "Why didn't you ask him?"

Uryuu sighed, "I could never let Ryuuken see me in this state," He said softly, "And I don't feel like putting up with his snide remarks today. Ryuuken probably wouldn't give me the time of day after I ran off to rescue you. He doesn't give a damn about me."

"I'm sure that not true," Orihime said as she activated her Shun Shun Rikka to heal Uryuu, "Your father seemed to care enough to restore your powers. I'm sure deep down he does care about you…at least…you know if your father is still alive." She said softly.

"Inoue-san…" Uryuu muttered vacantly as she continued to heal him. He had almost completely forgotten that Orihime lived alone.

"I'm sorry," She said, "I shouldn't be getting upset while I'm trying to heal you."

"I should have let you heal me completely while we were above the dome of Las Noches." Uryuu said as he shut his eyes, "I had expected everyone to sustain more serious injuries and I wasn't expecting Unohana-taichou to be there either. I didn't want you to stain yourself after what you went through."

"Aizen and the Arrancars never hurt me," Orihime said as she finished healing Uryuu, "I was terrified but…they never did anything to physically hurt me."

"I'm glad," Uryuu said as he flexed his completely restored left hand, "Thank you Inoue-san."

"I'm sorry I couldn't do anything about your fever," She said, "Shun Shun Rikka can't lower a fever."

"Don't worry about it," Uryuu said, "I can handle the fever."

"Have you had anything to eat today?" Orihime asked.

"Kurosaki-san made me a light breakfast when he visited this morning," Uryuu said, "But aside from that I haven't eaten anything else today."

"Do you want me to make you something?" Orihime asked innocently.

Uryuu's dull blue eyes widened a bit. Orihime was rather…creative in the kitchen and he wasn't sure if his stomach would take to something like a bean paste and chicken ramen sandwich topped with peanut butter, "Uh…Inoue-san…"

"I promise I won't make anything weird," She said, "You're sick and you need something gentle on the stomach right? May I use your kitchen?"

"Go ahead," Uryuu said as he rested against the couch again. He could finally lie down on the couch without having to worry about the sharp pains he had been getting through his stomach and left hand because of his injuries but he still felt awful. The fever caused his body to ache despite Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka, he was freezing regardless of how many blankets he covered up with and he was incredibly exhausted. He was just about to fall asleep when he felt a cool hand on his forehead, "Inoue-san…"

"I'm sorry," She said, "But your supper is ready."

"Thank you," Uryuu said as he sat up and Orihime placed a tray with a steaming bowl of what looked like vegetable soup on his lap.

"You had a lot of vegetables in your refrigerator," Orihime said, "So I made you a soup recipe that my brother used to make for me whenever I got sick."

Uryuu cautiously brought a spoonful up to his mouth and took a small sip. To his surprise the soup was quite good, "That's not bad Inoue-san," He said.

"Thank you," Orihime said, "Eat what you can but don't force yourself."

Uryuu nodded and ate about three fourths of the soup before handing the bowl back to the girl, "That was very good Inoue-san," He said, "Thank you."

"Do you want anything else?"

"That won't be necessary," Uryuu said, "I think I'm going to get some more sleep. The fever kept me up a lot last night."

"Do you want me to help you to your room?" Orihime asked, "It might be better for you to sleep in a proper bed than on the couch."

"Alright," Uryuu said as he allowed the girl to help him stand, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Orihime said, "I want you to get better as soon as possible…school just wasn't the same without you or Kurosaki-kun."

"I see…" Uryuu muttered as he rested against his pillow, "You don't have to stay Inoue-san. I'll be alright by myself."

"No," Orihime said, "You shouldn't be left alone with such a fever. I'll spend the night here…if that's okay."

"Inoue-san…" Uryuu muttered, "Where are you going to sleep?"

"I can sleep on the couch," Orihime said as she gently tucked Uryuu in, "I don't mind. Please," She said as tears sprung into her eyes, "I don't want to be alone…I keep seeing…everything that happened during the battle against Ulquiorra. The hole in Kurosaki-kun's chest…you with you left hand missing…watching Kurosaki-kun…stab you with his Zanpakutou…everything…it just keeps playing over in my head."

"Inoue-san…" Uryuu muttered, "I understand. But what are you going to sleep in? My clothes are too big for you and I don't have anything on hand."

"I could run home in a little bit," Orihime said, "But I'm fine sleeping in my school uniform if I have to. You should get some sleep."

Uryuu nodded and slipped into a deep but restless sleep.

Orihime sighed as she walked into the kitchen and shut the door to Uryuu's bedroom. She started cleaning up the dishes from the soup she had made when the phone rang. She was hesitant to pick it up but at the same time she didn't want the phone to wake Uryuu.

"Moshi, moshi, Ishida residence," She answered.

_"Who is this?"_ A man's voice came.

"My name is Inoue Orihime," She said, "I'm one of Ishida Uryuu-kun's classmates."

_"I see,"_ The man said, _"I heard from Isshin that my son was running a fever from whatever he had done after running away. I wanted to check up on him to make sure he wasn't doing anything foolish while ill."_

"Ishida…san…" She gasped, "Ishida-kun is asleep right now. Do you want me to wake him?"

_"That won't be necessary,"_ Ryuuken said, _"Let him rest."_

"Alright," Orihime said however before she could say goodbye the call ended.

"_You see Ishida-kun," _She thought as she walked back into Uryuu's room and placed a cold compress on his forehead, _"Your father does care about you. He wouldn't have called to see how you were feeling if he didn't. I wonder if Isshin-san is Kurosaki-kun's father. It has to be, he's the only other person that Ishida-kun has had any interaction with today."_

She then went back in the kitchen to finish cleaning. When she was done she collected her belongings so she could head home to grab a change of clothes and something to sleep in when there was a knock at the door. She opened the door and found a well dressed man with brown eyes, silver hair and glasses standing at Uryuu's door.

"You must be Inoue-san," The man said, "I came to drop this off." He handed her a box of fever reducers, "My son doesn't keep medicine in his apartment for whatever reason and I heard from Isshin that his fever was quite high."

"Thank you, Ishida-san," Orihime said as she slipped her shoes on.

"Are you on your way out?" Ryuuken asked.

"I was actually on my way home to pick up some clothes and pajamas," Orihime said, "I was planning on spending the night. Ishida-kun shouldn't be alone with such a fever."

"Would you like a ride?" Ryuuken asked, "It's starting to rain."

"I'll be fine walking," Orihime said.

"The quicker you get what you need, the less time my son is alone," Ryuuken said, "I'm sure Uryuu's apartment is out of the way."

Orihime sighed, "Thank you," She said softly. She got the impression that Uryuu's father was not an easy person to say no to.

* * *

><p>Ryuuken's car was uncomfortably quiet on the way to Orihime's apartment. It only took her a few minutes to get what she needed. She could change into normal clothes when she got back to Uryuu's apartment.<p>

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," Orihime said as she reentered Ryuuken's car.

"Do your parents care that you're spending the night at a male classmate's apartment?" Ryuuken asked.

"I haven't lived with my parents since I was three," Orihime said softly, "I lived with my older brother for a time. I live alone now…and I have no idea where my parents are."

Ryuuken nodded and started to drive by to his son's apartment.

* * *

><p>"Thank you so much for the ride," Orihime said as Ryuuken dropped her off.<p>

"Keep an eye on my son," Ryuuken said, "He doesn't like to rest when he should. That's why…it takes him so long to recover."

"I will," Orihime said as she walked back to Uryuu's apartment, "Thank you Ishida-san!"

* * *

><p>A few hours later Uryuu walked into his living room to find Orihime sitting on the couch doing homework.<p>

"Inoue-san," He said as he sat down next to her.

"Ishida-kun," She greeted, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling a little better," He said, "I think if I get a really good night sleep tonight I should be fine tomorrow."

"You probably should still stay home to rest another day," Orihime said, "That way you don't relapse."

"I know," Uryuu said, "I wasn't planning on going to school tomorrow."

"Oh before I forget," Orihime said, "Your father came by a little while ago."

"Ryuuken…actually stopped by?" Uryuu asked, "What did he want?"

"Well, first he called to see how you were feeling," Orihime said, "Then a little while later he stopped by. I think he might have mentioned something about Kurosaki-kun's father as well."

"Ryuuken wanted to know how I was feeling…?" Uryuu asked vacantly, "Kurosaki-san must have told Ryuuken that I was sick…I'm sure he said something about me doing something idiotic."

"Not really," Orihime said, "He seemed worried about you. He even drove me to my apartment so I could pick up a change of clothes."

"I find it hard to believe that that man would worry about me," Uryuu said listlessly, "He never cared about me in the past."

"Why would your father call you and stop by your apartment to see how you were feeling if he wasn't worried about you?" Orihime asked, "My father doesn't even know my phone number…let alone where I live. You're lucky…you say you don't have a good relationship with your father but…it's better than the relationship I have with my father…I don't even remember what my parents looked like."

Uryuu gasped. Orihime was right. Even if he didn't have a good relationship with his father it was better than not knowing what his father looked like. "I'm sorry," He said, "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's okay," Orihime said as she wiped her eyes, "Oniichan said that my parents were terrible people." She took the small box of medicine that Ryuuken had given her, "He also gave me this to give to you. He said something about you not keeping medicine here."

Uryuu took the box and sighed, "Of course he would say something like," he muttered, "I didn't think he would also remember that I don't sleep well when I'm feverish."

"What do you mean?" Orihime asked.

"It's nighttime cold medicine," He said, "When I'm feverish I sleep alright during the day. But at night, I struggle." He paused a bit, "It's been a while since Ryuuken saw me get this ill…I was ten or eleven the last time. That was also the only time I saw my father genuinely worried about me." He sighed, "I had suddenly collapsed during school because of a dangerously high fever. I had been rushed to my father's hospital and I don't think I'll ever forget the look of pure terror on Ryuuken's face just before I lost consciousness. I heard from a nurse a few days later after my fever fell and I returned to consciousness that…Ryuuken never left my side while I was unconscious."

"See," Orihime said, "Your father does care about you Ishida-kun. Do you want a little something to eat so you can take your medicine?"

"I'm not hungry," Uryuu said.

"It's bad to take medicine on an empty stomach," Orihime said, "It'll make you feel sicker."

"I guess you're right," Uryuu said, "I'll just have some tea then. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just regular tea will do. There should be some tea bags in the kitchen."

"Okay," Orihime said, "But you really should get back to bed first. The medicine will probably make you very sleepy and you need to be in bed."

Uryuu nodded. He went to stand up when a wave of dizziness washed over him and he nearly fell.

"Ishida-kun!" Orihime cried as she prevented him from falling, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Uryuu said as he stood up with a little more success, "I just got a little dizzy that's all."

"See?" Orihime asked, "This is why you need to be in bed."

"Thank you Inoue-san," Uryuu muttered as the girl helped him back to his bed.

"You're welcome," She said with a smile, "Sit tight, I'll be back in a bit with some tea."

Uryuu sighed. He could understand how Orihime felt. There were several events that took place at Hueco Mundo that still bothered him. He was quite glad that Orihime hadn't seen the battle against Szayel Aporro Granz. He felt as though he had been absolutely useless in that battle. Renji had continued to battle after several of his internal organs and tendons had been destroyed. He had been rendered unable to do anything after he had his first organ, his stomach, destroyed. Then that…_Capitan _arrived. He had never been both relieved and disgusted to see another…_being_ in all his life. Then after killing Szayel in an almost cruel but definitely unusual manner, Kurotsuchi destroyed his Zanpakutou then revived his _daughter_ in such a way it made his stomach turn. And just thinking about what that…madman might have done to him after he had fallen unconscious, made Uryuu's stomach sick.

Then there was the battle against Ulquiorra…

"Ishida-kun," Orihime's soft voice came, "Are you alright?"

Uryuu looked up, _"How did I not notice Inoue-san's reiatsu so close?"_ He thought, _"Is it because I'm ill?"_

"Ishida-kun?" Orihime asked.

"I'm sorry about that Inoue-san," Uryuu muttered as he adjusted his glasses and sat up a bit, "I was just thinking."

"You were thinking about what happened at Hueco Mundo weren't you?" Orihime asked.

Uryuu's eyes widened, "How...how did you know?" He gasped.

"The look on your face," Orihime said, "First you looked upset, then almost relieved, then it looked like you were in pain, then relieved and disgusted and finally you looked sicker than you did a little while ago. So I figured you must have been thinking about Hueco Mundo." She paused, "Do you still want this?"

"Yeah," Uryuu muttered as he took the mug from the girl, _"Inoue-san is standing right next to me,"_ He thought, _"And I can barely feel her reiatsu."_

"What's wrong?" Orihime asked, "Is the tea too hot?"

"It's not that…" Uryuu mumbled, "Inoue-san…is my reiatsu weak?"

"Ishida-kun…" Orihime gasped.

"I can hardly feel your reiastu," Uryuu muttered, "And…you're standing right there."

Orihime shut her eyes, "Yeah," She said, "Your reiatsu is weak. Should I call Urahara-san?"

"I don't think that will be necessary," Uryuu said as he finished the tea, "I have a feeling it's because I'm ill. If my reiatsu doesn't come back up once my fever breaks I'll go to Urahara-san."

"Are you done with the tea?" Orihime asked.

"Yeah," Uryuu said as he handed the mug back to the girl.

"You should take some medicine now," Orihime said as she handed the box of medicine and a glass of water, "You need to sleep."

"Thank you Inoue-san," Uryuu said.

"If you need anything at all during the night please call me right away," Orihime said, "Sleep well Ishida-kun and…thank you for letting me spend the night."

"You're welcome," Uryuu said as he removed his glasses and rested against his pillow.

Orihime walked back into the living room and continued doing her homework. When she finished, she made two copies of the class notes, one for Uryuu the other for Ichigo. _"I wonder if Ishida-kun was able to take notes yesterday." _She thought, _"Probably not, he's left handed and Tatsuki-chan said that he could barely move his hand yesterday. I guess I should go to bed, just in case Ishida-kun doesn't sleep well tonight."_

Orihime walked to the bathroom and changed into the pajamas she had brought. Once she was finished getting ready for bed she took a small face towel and ran it under cold water. She quietly entered Uryuu's bedroom and placed the cold compress on his forehead. Uryuu had a slightly pained expression on his face but he appeared to be sleeping soundly.

"_He must have gone through a lot at Hueco Mundo,"_ Orihime thought, _"We can talk about it when he feels better."_

"Sleep well, Ishida-kun," She said softly as she shut the door.

* * *

><p>So, what did you think? It's my first Bleach fic so like I said earlier, I apologize if their personalities might not be right. I know I probably wrote Ryuuken way out of character, but I have a feeling (just based on what I read and watched) that deep down Ryuuken does care for his son. I'm probably going to write another chapter for this, I'm not a fan of one shots. Let me know what you thought! Until next time, see ya!<p>

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	2. Let Me Stay With You

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back with the second chapter of this little fic. I'm honestly not sure how long I'm going to drag this story out for but I'll let you know there will be at least three chapters so just hang tight. My stories like going in random directions that I don't anticipate so I'll let you know as soon as I know where this story's going. I don't have much to say about this chapter so, after the disclaimer you can get started, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or the characters. They belong to Kubo Tite-san.

* * *

><p>Chapter Two: Let Me Stay With You<p>

"_Uryuu," Ryuuken's harsh voice came, "Why are you wearing your school uniform?"_

"_Today's a school day," An eleven year old Uryuu responded, "I'm going to school."_

"_Go back to your room and change back into your pajamas," Ryuuken said as he got ready to leave for work, "You spiked a fever last night, you're not going to school today."_

"_But I'm not feeling sick right now," Uryuu protested, "I'm fine."_

"_Don't argue with me Uryuu," Ryuuken said, "You're not going to school today. I know how you get when you're sick. You're fine for a little while then your fever spikes and you usually end up fainting or vomiting. I don't care if you're not feeling sick right now. You are not going to school today. I can't take time out of my busy work day to pick you up because you went to school ill. I've done that too many times in the past." He put his shoes on and turned to his son, "I will call you during my lunch break. I'll be calling at twelve sharp, I expect you to answer."_

_Uryuu sighed as his father left the house, _"I'm sorry father," _He thought, _"But I'm going to school today."_ He waited for about ten minutes after his father had left the house before started his walk to school. _

* * *

><p>"<em>Ishida-kun," One of Uryuu's classmates called, "You don't look so good. Are you feeling okay?"<em>

"_I'm just a little tired," Uryuu said, "I didn't sleep very well last night."_

"_Okay," The girl said, "Are you ready for today's endurance run practice during P.E?"_

_Uryuu's eyes widened he had completely forgotten about the endurance run practice that day, "Yeah," He said. _"I completely forgot about the endurance run," _He thought, _"But if I ask the teacher if I can sit the practice out he'll know I'm not feeling well and send me to the nurse. I can't let father know I came to school. I'll just take it easy."

"_I am too," The girl said, "I can't wait! Cheer up Ishida-kun, I know you'll do well!"_

_Uryuu sighed and put his head down on his desk, _"I hope nothing bad happens today,"_ he though, _"Maybe I should have listened to father and stayed home today…I don't feel so good all of a sudden…"

* * *

><p><em>Ryuuken sighed as his home phone went to the answering machine. "Pick up the phone Uryuu," He said, "I told you I would call at twelve sharp."<em>

_He ended the call and sighed _"Perhaps he's sleeping," _He thought, _"He sleeps a lot during the day when he's feverish. I just hope he didn't go to school…If he did, he'll just have to suffer his stupidity."

* * *

><p><em>Uryuu panted hard as he tried to keep his aching legs going. He couldn't let himself stop running but at the same time his illness weakened body couldn't keep going.<em>

"_What's wrong Ishida-kun?" One of his classmates called, "You're slowing down."_

"_I can't…"Uryuu gasped as his head started to spin and his stomach lurched, "I can't…keep…going…"_

"_Huh…Ishida-kun!" Uryuu heard as his legs gave out and he fell to the ground and vomited the little he had eaten for lunch. "Ishida-kun! Hurry someone go get the teacher! Ishida-kun's really sick!"_

"_Okay!" Another student called._

* * *

><p><em>Uryuu wasn't sure how much time had passed from the time he fell to the time the teacher came running to him but it felt like a lifetime, "Ishida-kun, Honda-kun, Yamaguchi-kun," The teacher called, "What's wrong? What happened?"<em>

"_We don't know," One of Uryuu's fellow classmates said, "He muttered something about not being able to keep going, then he fell and threw up."_

"_Honda-kun," The teacher said he placed his hand on Uryuu's sweaty forehead, "Go get the nurse, he's got a bad fever."_

"_Hai!"The boy said as he ran off._

"_Ishida-kun," The teacher called as he carefully rolled the boy onto his back, "Can you hear me?"_

"_H-hai…"Uryuu responded._

"_Just hold on Ishida-kun," The teacher said, "Honda-kun is going to get the nurse right now."_

"_Please…" Uryuu pleaded weakly, "Please…don't call my father…I…I wasn't supposed to…come to school today…he'll yell at me…if he finds out…"_

"_We have to call your father Ishida-kun," The gym teacher said, "You're very sick and you have to go home."_

"_No…" Uryuu gasped as breathing became difficult, "Please…don't call him…"He then started to cough violently before he could protest anymore._

"_Ishida-kun, what's wrong?" The gym teacher called as the boy in front of him continued to cough and struggle for breath._

"_I…can't breathe…" He gasped as the nurse ran over._

"_Hold on Ishida-kun," the gym teacher said, "The nurse has your asthma inhaler."_

"_Ishida-kun," The nurse said as she unbuttoned the boy's shirt and put a thermometer under the boy's arm and an icepack on the boy's forehead, "What on earth are you doing here with such a fever?" When the small device beeped the woman gasped, "Call for an ambulance, his fever is well above forty degrees (one hundred four degrees Fahrenheit). He needs immediate medical attention. I believe his father just became the director of Karakura Hospital we'll have him taken there."_

"NO! Not there!" _Uryuu's mind screamed out as the nurse helped him with his inhaler. He couldn't find the strength to verbally protest, _"Father will get angry with me if he finds out I went to school! Please, anywhere but there!"

* * *

><p><em>Ryuuken sighed as once again tried to call his son. <em>"Uryuu never takes long naps when he's sick," _He thought, _"I believe he'll have some serious explaining to do when I get home." _Ryuuken was beginning to wonder if leaving Uryuu home alone was such a good idea, _"If he's still sick tomorrow perhaps I'll take a day out of work. Just to make sure he stays home and rests."

* * *

><p><em>It was a long and painful trip to the hospital. Uryuu knew that his father would be working in the emergency room that day. His breathing had eased up but the fever was still wreaking havoc on his body and he struggled to stay awake.<em>

"_Ishida-kun," The school nurse said, "You should sleep a little bit."_

_Uryuu weakly shook his head and tried to speak but couldn't because of the oxygen mask over his mouth and nose._

"_Are you afraid of going to the hospital?" She asked._

_Uryuu nodded, _"Father will be there," _He thought,_ "I can't let him see me like this…"

"_It will be okay Ishida-kun," The nurse said as she stroked Uryuu's hair a bit, "Everything will be fine."_

"No, it won't," _Uryuu thought as tears streamed down his pale and flushed cheeks, _"You don't know my father! Please! Don't take me to the hospital!"

* * *

><p>"<em>Ishida-sensei," One of the nurses called, "We just got a call from your son's school."<em>

"_What did they want?" Ryuuken asked, "If it was about Uryuu's absence, I'll call them back later."_

"_It wasn't about that," The nurse said._

"_I swear if he went to school with the fever he was running this morning…"_

"_The call wasn't about your son at all. All they said was that they were sending a student here," The woman said, "A fifth grader collapsed during gym class. They should be arriving any minute. Apparently the child has a high fever and severe asthma episode."_

"_Call pediatrics and let them know," Ryuuken said, "Depending on how bad the child is we'll send him there when we're done with the preliminary treatment."_

"_Alright," The woman said._

_Ryuuken sighed. He would have someone call the child's parents when they learned more about the child's condition. But he had a bad feeling that he couldn't shake or explain about the child they were bringing in from his son's school. And for once, Ryuuken Ishida was extremely apprehensive about a patient._

"_Ishida-sensei," Another nurse called, "The child from Karakura Elementary School is here."_

"_I'll be right there," Ryuuken called. He looked over at the child that had just been rushed in and he gasped. He didn't even need to see the child's face, there was no mistaking the reiatsu he felt. The child was Uryuu._

"_Eleven year old male," The EMT called, "Collapsed at school with a forty point five (one hundred four point nine) degree temperature…"_

_Ryuuken didn't hear the rest of what the EMT said. He had rushed to the trauma room they had prepped for the boy. _"That idiot boy," _He thought, _"Is he trying to kill himself?" _Uryuu was brought into the trauma room and Ryuuken gasped. Uryuu was almost deathly pale and extremely flushed at the same time, despite the oxygen mask on his face his breathing was extremely shallow and from what Ryuuken could tell, the boy was barely conscious._

"_Should we call the child's parents?" One of the nurses asked._

"_There's no need," Ryuuken muttered, "He's my son…" _

"_He's…your son?" The young woman responded, "Ishida-sensei, do you mean…?" _

"_Yes," He said, "This is my son, Ishida Uryuu." He walked up to the child, "What were you thinking?" He asked softly trying to keep his composure despite the fact that his son had just been rushed to the hospital with a dangerously high fever, "I told you not to go to school today…"_

"_Otou…san…" Uryuu muttered as he looked up at his father, "Su…su…sumima…sen…"_

"_Don't talk Uryuu," Ryuuken ordered, "We'll discuss this later. For now," He said in a gentle tone that Uryuu had never heard from his father before, "Just rest."_

"_H-Hai…" Uryuu muttered as he slipped into a blissful and pain-free unconsciousness._

* * *

><p>Ryuuken's eyes snapped open. It had been a while since he had had that dream. It was the recurring nightmare of the incident that could have killed his only child. It plagued his sleep whenever Uryuu fell ill. He wiped the sweat from his brow, <em>"How long has it been since Uryuu last fell ill?" <em>He thought, _"_That_ time couldn't have been the last time he was ill." _He put his glasses on and got out of bed so he could get a drink of water, _"No, the last time Uryuu fell ill was about a week after he started high school. Just two weeks after he moved out. He got really ill that time too because he pulled the same idiotic stunt as _that _time." _He walked back to his bedroom, _"At least this time_ _he has someone watching out for him. I don't have to be at the hospital until midday tomorrow, perhaps I'll check up on him." _He then removed his glasses and fell back to sleep.

* * *

><p>Uryuu woke up at the same exact time his father did, from almost the same exact dream.<p>

"Ishida-kun," Orihime called softly, "Are you alright? I could hear you moaning from the other room. Were you having a bad dream?"

"Inoue-san," Uryuu muttered, "I'm alright. I wasn't having a nightmare, it was just an odd dream."

"Was it about what happened at Hueco Mundo?" Orihime asked as she handed Uryuu a glass of water.

"No," Uryuu said, "It wasn't. We'll talk more in the morning. I just want to get back to sleep."

"Okay," Orihime said, "Do you want to take more medicine first? It's been more than six hours since you took the last dose."

"What time is it?" He asked.

"It's almost three in the morning," Orihime said as she took the box of medicine off Uryuu's nightstand, "Do you want to take another dose? Your fever is still rather high."

"Yeah," Uryuu said, "That sounds like a good idea."

"Here," Orihime said as she handed Uryuu two pills.

"Thank you, Inoue-san," Uryuu said, "I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"It's alright," Orihime said, "I left your door open on purpose. I wanted to be woken up in case you started having trouble during the night."

"You should get back to sleep," Uryuu said, "I wouldn't want you to be tired during school tomorrow."

"I don't think I'm going to go to school tomorrow," She said as she walked towards the door, "I want to stay with you."

"You don't have to," Uryuu said tiredly as the medicine started to take effect, "I don't want you to miss another day of school because of me."

"I know I don't have to," Orihime said, "But…I want to. Sleep well, Ishida-kun."

"You too, Inoue-san."

* * *

><p>Orihime woke up a little later than she normally did. At first she didn't recognize her surroundings and started to panic thinking that maybe she had been kidnapped again. But then she remembered that she had spent the night at Uryuu's apartment and she was able to calm down. <em>"I hope Ishida-kun is feeling better today." <em> She walked to the bathroom and changed into the outfit she had packed the day before then she checked on Uryuu. The raven haired Quincy appeared to be sleeping soundly. His face was no longer flushed or slick with sweat. She carefully placed the back of her hand to Uryuu's forehead and smiled, _"Oh good," _She thought, _"His fever's gone. I'll let him sleep for a while longer, he still needs the rest."_

Orihime quietly left Uryuu's room and started rummaging through the kitchen to see what she could make for breakfast. _"I guess I could make some eggs," _Orihime thought, _"They'll be a little bland though, Ishida-kun doesn't have any maple syrup or red bean paste."_

* * *

><p>Uryuu woke up to the sound of someone clinking dishes around in his kitchen. He quickly sat up and went to go confront the possible intruder when he remembered that Orihime had spent the night. He sighed and relaxed a bit. He was feeling much better than he had the day before. <em>"My fever must be down," <em>He thought, _"Hopefully Ryuuken doesn't hold this against me somehow."_ He got dressed and walked out into the kitchen.

"Ah Ishida-kun," Orihime greeted cheerfully, "Good morning!"

"Good morning Inoue-san," Uryuu greeted in return.

"How are you feeling today?" Orihime asked, "You look like you're feeling a lot better today."

"I'm feeling much better today," Uryuu said, "I think my fever fell."

Orihime placed the back of her hand to Uryuu's forehead and he blushed a little bit, "Your forehead is nice and cool today," Orihime said with a smile, "I think it's safe to say your fever is down. Would you like something to eat? I made some eggs."

"That will be fine," Uryuu said, "I'm sorry, I don't have much food in my apartment. I was supposed to go grocery shopping after school the other day but after falling asleep during last period I decided to come straight home instead. I might go shopping later on."

"If you do go shopping later on, can I come too?" Orihime asked as she placed a plate of eggs in front of Uryuu.

"You can if you want to," Uryuu said, "We'll go a little later on. Kurosaki-san said that he would stop by to see how I was feeling."

"I wonder how long it's going to take for Kurosaki-kun to wake up," Orihime said softly.

Uryuu sighed, "It's Kurosaki," He said, "You know how he is. He pushes himself too hard but he's always alright in the end. Urahara-san and Unohana-taichou both said that he would be fine but…"

"He will lose his reiatsu when he wakes up," Orihime said softly, "He won't be a substitute shinigami anymore."

"Everything will be alright," Uryuu said, "He was always protecting us so now it's our turn to protect him. With Aizen gone, the worst we'll have to deal with will be the Menos Grande. We've all taken on much stronger enemies than the Menos."

"I guess you're right," Orihime said as Uryuu's doorbell rang.

"Hold on just a minute Inoue-san," Uryuu said, "That's probably Kurosaki-san." He opened the door and the person standing there was not the person he was expecting to be there, "Ryuuken!"

"You never change do you Uryuu," Ryuuken said.

"What are you doing here?" Uryuu asked still in shock that his father was standing in his doorway.

"I was just making sure that you weren't doing anything stupid today," Ryuuken said, "But seeing as though your school started an hour ago and you're still here, I'm guessing you finally decided to listen to me for once."

"I didn't think what I chose to do was any of your business," Uryuu said, "So why do you seem to care?"

"I'm your father Uryuu," Ryuuken said, "It is my business to make sure you don't do anything to stupidly get yourself killed. Is Inoue-san still here?"

"Why do you want to know?" Uryuu asked.

"She left something in my car yesterday," Ryuuken said, "I wanted to return it to her."

"She's still here," Uryuu said, "Would you like to come in and see for yourself?"

"I was wondering when you were going to ask me that," Ryuuken said, "It's rather rude to have a person who went out of their way to visit you stand in your doorway for too long."

Uryuu sighed and stepped aside so his father could enter his apartment, "Is that better?" He asked.

Ryuuken didn't answer he walked up to Orihime, "You left this in my car, Inoue-san," He said as he handed the girl a blue hair pin, "This is important to you, is it not? You wouldn't want to lose it."

"Thank you so much Ishida-san," Orihime said as she bowed, "I didn't even notice it was gone."

"You could learn a thing or two from this girl," Ryuuken said, "She seems to have much more respect than you do."

"Would you mind not criticizing me in front of my friend?" Uryuu asked as the doorbell rang, "Excuse me." He walked towards the door.

"Would you like some tea, Ishida-san?" Orihime asked, "I was just about to make some."

"That won't be necessary," Ryuuken said, "I won't be staying much longer."

"Okay," Orihime said.

"Uryuu-kuuuuun!" A voice from the living room screamed as there was a loud crash. Orihime and Ryuuken rushed into the room to find Uryuu half pinned under Isshin Kurosaki, "Good morning!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Uryuu roared as he struggled to get Isshin off of him, "Do you do this with Kurosaki?"

"Yeah," Isshin said, "But it's no fun when I do it with Ichigo because he always moves out of the way or he hits me back."

"I don't blame him," Uryuu said, "You could have seriously injured me!"

"I'm sure you've been through worse," Isshin said, "Based on the condition you were in yesterday. But I see the lovely young lady saw to your injuries. You appear to have full mobility of your left hand again."

"What is this all about?" Ryuuken asked.

"It's nothing," Uryuu muttered as he cursed Isshin for coming over while Ryuuken was over as well.

"It's not nothing," Isshin said, "You had some pretty severe injuries yesterday Uryuu-kun. You were in quite a bit of pain and your left hand was completely immobile."

"Is that true Uryuu?" Ryuuken asked, "This is the first I heard of it."

"Inoue-san was able to heal my injuries," Uryuu said, "I'm completely fine."

"Your reiatsu is weak Uryuu," Ryuuken said, "You're pushing yourself too hard again." He checked his watch, "I have to go. Take care of yourself Uryuu. If your reiatsu doesn't strengthen in a few days I want to know about it. Isshin," He said as the other man stiffened, "I will be calling you later. I will take my leave now."

"Uryuu-kun," Isshin whined after Ryuuken left, "Your father is a scary man."

"How's Kurosaki?" Uryuu asked softly.

Isshin sighed, "He's the same," he said, "Yuzu won't stop crying and I can't tell what the hell Karin is thinking about. I know he'll wake up eventually but…things will be a lot different for him when he does." He looked over at Uryuu, "Now that your father isn't around, would you mind telling me just what happened to you at Hueco Mundo? Honestly I'm surprised you could stand yesterday. I'm guessing you sustained some pretty grave injuries."

Uryuu sighed, "Kurosaki had been badly injured," he said softly, "So to buy Inoue-san some time to heal him I challenged the enemy that Kurosaki had been fighting…despite knowing that I had no chance of beating him. During that fight, I had my left hand severed off and I ended up with a sword through my stomach. If Inoue-san hadn't have been there as well…I would be dead." He couldn't tell Isshin that when they found Ichigo he was seemingly dead with a large hole through his chest. He also couldn't tell Isshin that his son had turned into some sort of Arrancar-like monster that stabbed him through with his Zanpakutou and would have killed him if Ulquiorra didn't intervene.

"You should have told your father about that," Isshin said, "I know the two you have a less than close relationship but he is your father Uryuu-kun. He has every right to know about what happened to you. I mean, he did give you the opportunity to run off the way you did."

"Ryuuken did what?" Uryuu asked.

"He kinda figured you'd run off as soon as he left you alone so I think he left you alone for a while on purpose," Isshin said, "He never read the note you left. He had a feeling he knew what you were up to."

"How do you know this?" Uryuu asked.

"Your father and I are old friends," Isshin said, "I can't go into details but we've know each other since before you and Ichigo were born."

"I see," Uryuu said.

"Well," Isshin said, "I think I'm done here. You seem to be feeling better Uryuu-kun. But it's as your father said you're still not one hundred percent yet. Your reiatsu is still weak so take it easy for a few more days. No Hollow hunting until you regain your strength okay? Those are doctor's orders alright?"

"Alright," Uryuu said, "Thank you for stopping by Kurosaki-san. Please, keep us updated on Kurosaki."

"Don't worry," Isshin said, "I will. Have a good day you two."

"You too Kurosaki-san," Orihime said as Isshin left the apartment.

"Did you sleep alright last night Ishida-kun?" Orihime asked, "Aside from that dream you woke up from, did you wake up another time?"

"No," Uryuu said, "That was the only time I woke up during the night."

"I'm glad," Orihime said, "Do you mind if I ask you what you were dreaming about?"

"Do you remember me telling you about the time I was rushed to the hospital because I collapsed from a high fever in school?" Uryuu asked. Orihime nodded, "I basically relived that incident while I slept last night. And…I'm pretty sure my father had the same dream. He always dreams about that incident when I'm ill."

"Your father really does care about you," Orihime said, "He may not show it in a compassionate way but he does worry about you."

"I guess you're right Inoue-san," Uryuu said, "He was able to restore my powers. He probably knew full well that as long as hollows continued to show up I was going to continue to try and fight."

"I have another question," Orihime asked, "Before you showed up to fight Yammy, what happened to you? You mentioned to Kurosaki-kun that Kurotsuchi-Taichou had healed you. Did you fight an Espada?"

Uryuu sighed. He really didn't want Orihime to know about what had happened during his fight with Szayel. "I fought an Espada with Abarai-kun," He said softly, "But neither of us were able to defeat him…Kurotsuchi had to save us. I never thought the madman who nearly killed me once would come to my aid." He paused, "The Espada we fought created little voodoo dolls of Abarai-kun and I. He then proceeded to use those dolls to crush our internal organs and major tendons. I was done in much faster than Abarai-kun," He muttered, "I almost couldn't move after that monster destroyed my stomach."

"You had your internal organs _destroyed_?" Orihime asked.

"Yeah," Uryuu said, "We were lucky Kurotsuchi was…prepared so to speak. He defeated Szayel in a rather…unusual manner then he healed his lieutenant, Abarai-kun and then myself. I don't trust that man at all but the internal bleeding from having several organs destroyed would have killed me. I didn't have a choice but to let him heal me. His method of healing people is much…_different_ than yours. And to be quite honest I prefer your method of healing over any other method."

Orihime blushed, "R-Really?" She asked.

"Yes," Uryuu said.

"Thank you…" Orihime muttered.

"You're welcome," Uryuu said, "Now, since I know I don't have much food in my apartment, what do you say we go out for lunch?"

"Eh?" Orihime gasped, "Ishida-kun…"

"It will be my treat," He said, "You did save my life at Hueco Mundo and I think that deserves lunch on me."

"You mean…like a date?" Orihime asked.

Uryuu blushed a little bit, "I guess you could call it that," He said.

"You don't have to do that," Orihime said, "I can pay for whatever I order."

"It's like what you said to me last night," Uryuu said, "I know I don't have to but I want to. I feel as though you're always doing things for me but I never return the favor. You've saved my life several times and I feel as though I've never properly thanked you. If it wasn't for you, the injuries I sustained during the battle against Ulquiorra would have killed me."

"That's not true," Orihime said, "You've done things to help me in the past. You were the one who warned me when those Shinigami were about to explode back in the Soul Society. You protected me from Kurotsuchi-Taichou. You went to Hueco Mundo to rescue me from Aizen. You challenged Ulquiorra to give me time to heal Kurosaki-kun. You've done a lot to help me out Ishida-kun."

"None of those things can compare to what you've done for me," Uryuu said, "Someday I hope to return the favor in full but for now I'll settle for treating you to lunch."

"Thank you Ishida-kun," Orihime said as she realized that she would not be able to argue the matter.

"We'll leave in a little bit," Uryuu said, "I want to do the homework from the other night and from yesterday. Could you tell me what yesterday's homework was?"

"Okay," Orihime said, "I already copied yesterday's notes for you."

"Thank you," Uryuu said, "In return, you can copy the notes that Sado-kun took for me the day before yesterday. Sado-kun took notes for me that day since I couldn't use my left hand and I'm left handed. I probably should have stayed home that day."

"Okay," Orihime said, "Why did you go to school that day anyway?"

"The same reason why you asked to stay the night," Uryuu said, "To distract myself from everything that had happened. The only thing I accomplished that day was making myself sicker and irritating my injuries more. Sado-kun wouldn't let me walk home by myself either, he followed me here just to make sure I made it home safely."

"I think I would have done the same," Orihime said, "I'm pretty sure Kurosaki-kun would have done the same."

"Kurosaki would have carried me to my apartment," Uryuu said as he took one of his notebooks out of his book bag, "Just to tick me off. Here," he said as he handed the girl the notebook, "These are the notes from the other day."

"Here," Orihime said as she handed the notes she had copied the night before, "The assignments are in there as well."

"Okay," Uryuu said, "We'll leave in about an hour."

"Sounds good," Orihime said as they both started on their homework.

* * *

><p>So, what did you think? The section at the beginning was a sort of combined dream between Uryuu and Ryuuken. Like I said in the first chapter, I'm trying to keep everyone in as much character as possible. There will definitely be at least one more chapter after this one. So until next time, see ya!<p>

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


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